SEARCH THE OBSERVER REPORTER

Spill closes I-70 in Westmoreland County

July 21, 2013

Traffic was nothing short of a nightmare Sunday afternoon on Interstate 70 between Route 51 (Uniontown/Pittsburgh exit) and Route 31 (Mt. Pleasant/West Newton exit) in Westmoreland County after hydrochloric acid leaked from a tractor-trailer.

At one point, eastbound traffic was backed about 10 miles to the Toll 43 interchange in Washington County.

A supervisor for Westmoreland County 911 said the truck actually started leaking somewhere on Interstate 79 southbound in Washington County before continuing east on I-70 for more than 30 miles.

The driver got off the highway at the Smithton exit and stopped on Fitz Henry Road under the interstate about 11:45 a.m.

The highway remained closed until just before 4 p.m. after the remaining acid was off-loaded into another tanker. The ramps have also reopened.